A Regular Cinderella
by WerewolfDoctor
Summary: An 18 year old Rose Tyler is at an New Years Eve party, feeling bored, until a strange man in a pinstripe suit arrives....


Rose Tyler leant against the bar, sipping on her drink, she was so _bored _, some New Years Eve party _this _was turning out to be, she thought bitterly, sighing she glanced at her boyfriend, Mickey, nice safe Mickey, she sighed again, she didn't _want_ safe, she wanted to be swept of her feet in whirl of romance, but that would never happen to _her_, she was too ordinary, she worked in a _shop_ for God's sake!

_Damn _

Her glass was empty, she'd probably had too much to drink already, but she turned to the bartender to ask for more anyway.

A hand on her's.

A _male_ hand.

A voice.

"How about a dance instead?"

She turned towards the speaker, stared into his chocolately eyes, took in his strange appearence, he was in a _suit_. And converses. _Right _. He raised his eyebrow, and she realised she'd been staring, and blushed, "Just one dance?" he sounded like a lost boy now, his lips pouting slightly, she _shouldn't_, she had boyfriend, a boyfriend who was sitting across the room. And resolutely refusing to dance with her.

"Ok then" she said "Just one dance, can't hurt" he grinned, and his whole face lit up, his brown eyes sparkling, she grinned back and her tongue poked through her teeth.

They twirled and dipped and whirled and one dance turned to two, then three, Rose was spellbound by this strange man, whose name she didn't even know.

Eventually they had to rest, and the strange man brought them drinks.

Rose was impressed.

"So" she said giggling slightly "You haven't told me your name yet"  
"Charlie" he replied "Charlie, um... Dickens" he said looking slightly embarrassed  
"Really?" asked Rose "Your not just winding me up?"  
"No" said Charlie "My mum had a strange sense of humour" they both giggled like four year olds and Rose wondered if it was possible to fall in love after knowing someone just twenty minutes.

They talked and talked and somehow, their talk turned to their ambitions "I've always wanted to help people, y'know, do something really _worthwhile_. And travel" mused Rose  
"Same here" said Charlie, Rose sighed  
"I don't suppose _I'll_ ever get the chance to travel, or help people, I'm too ordinary"  
"Don't say that" Charlie's voice was strangely intense, he sounded, almost, angry "Don't ever say that. You, Rose Tyler, are not ordinary and one day you will get your chance" Rose was taken aback and didn't know what to say, he seemed to sense that, his voice softened "Look, I'm sorry, I just... don't want you to give up, follow your dream and take every chance that you get Rose Tyler, and I promise you, you will reach the stars"

Just then, a slow song started, and Charlie led Rose to the dancefloor, and cradled her in his arms as they moved slowly to the music.

Rose was in heaven, she wanted to stay like this forever, in this strange man's arms, then the countdown started.

5...They stared into each other's eyes. Would they? Wouldn't they?

4...His head moved closer, his lips slightly closer to hers.

3...Mickey's head snapped up, what was that guy doing with _his_ girlfriend?

2...Rose moved closer towards him, eyes half closed.

1...They were so close, lips almost touching, their breath mingled.

0...They kissed, it started off chaste, but quickly turned into something more, their tongues duelling and hands roaming oh so slowly. Rose felt as if she was flying so so high, she could see supernovas and worlds being created and all sorts of things that didn't make any sense and nothing existed but them.

And then he was gone, just disappeared into thin air, and the sudden loss brought Rose down to Earth with such a crash that she felt as if she would die.

Wait. She was holding something, his tie; she was holding his tie, why was she holding his tie?

Cinderella she thought suddenly, it was exactly like Cinderella, well sort of, but did that she was going to see him again? She hoped so, and even that little voice telling her that she had a _boyfriend_ didn't stop that hope.

A 19 year old Rose Tyler stared at the strange man... alien that was offering to take her to the stars, and she was so tempted, but the weight on her legs reminded her that she had responsibilities here, seeing the stars was a childhood dream, nothing more, it was time she faced the adult world, but her heart broke slightly as the magical blue box faded away.

Then she remembered what _he_ had said, on that enchanted night, so long ago

_Follow your dream and take every chance that you get Rose Tyler, and I promise you, you will reach the stars _

Wasn't this what he meant? But it was no use dwelling on it, her chance had gone now, she'd failed, so she turned and led a still shell-shocked Mickey up the alley.

But then there was that sound again, the most wonderful sound in the universe, and she had made her decision before he had uttered that line that she would tease him mercilessly about later.

Sitting in her office in the Cardiff Torchwood, Rose's thoughts once again turned back to The Doctor, and suddenly it clicked, it was _him_ that night, it was The Doctor, _Her_ Doctor, but... why had he called himself Charlie Dickens? Why not John Smith? _Because he didn't want you to realise until now _the little voice in her head told her i _Because if you realised before now, you would have realised your time together was coming to an end, and he never wanted to destroy your innocence, but he still wanted to let you know that he loved you, even though he could never say it. _And Rose, for the first time in a long time smiled. _Wait _she thought _He told me never to give up, so I'm not going to give up, I'm going to find him, and then _she thought with a sigh _We are so going to kiss again_

The Doctor walked slowly back into the TARDIS and slung his trench coat over the railings, he shouldn't have really, but when had he followed the rules? He smiled, he had _liked_ being Charlie, _liked_ being an ordinary guy with dreams of more, more than that, he had _loved_ being with Rose, dancing with Rose, _kissing_ Rose, but he hated the fact that he hadn't had the guts to say goodbye a second time, he didn't know what had possessed him to leave her his tie, maybe his strange little brain had been thinking about Cinderella at the time, but hoped Rose had got his unspoken message.

He loved her.

His Rose.


End file.
